Growing world population calls for new concepts

More people, more cities, more problems

The world’s population is growing rapidly while urban living is becoming more widespread at the same time. New concepts and products are therefore needed in order to improve living conditions, urban architecture, mobility and the food supply as well as to make more intelligent use of scarce resources. High-tech plastics can help.

The number of people living in Asian and African cities increases by one million per week.

Nearly seven billion people inhabit the Earth today, and this number will likely be nine billion by the middle of the century. This population explosion is associated with a new pattern for this growth – a majority of it is occurring in the poorest countries. The number of people living in Asian and African cities is increasing at a rate of one million per week.

Rapid urbanization

At the same time, urbanization is also increasing. By 2030, five billion people will be living in urban areas. In 1960 there were only two megacities – there will be 26 by 2015. This calls for solutions that go beyond brick and mortar.

In part because more people produce more climate-damaging substances that accelerate global warming. The need for renewable forms of energy has never been so apparent. The same also applies to energy-saving buildings.

The world also needs sustainable solutions to counter food waste and the shortage of the essentials for life such as clean drinking water, where leaks from damaged pipes are a significant problem. People are also living longer and increasingly require medical care.

Products from Bayer MaterialScience can help find answers to many of these questions, such as by modernizing buildings, improving refrigeration chains and reducing automobile emissions.